The Irish construction sector is set to have full access to the latest range of STYROFOAM products - known as STYROFOAM-A - to help meet environmental targets.

STYROFOAM extruded polystyrene has been used for decades to insulate floors, basement walls and roofs in commercial, residential and agricultural buildings throughout Ireland.

Now the market will benefit from the latest STYROFOAM-A grades, which use CO2 as a blowing agent, giving them a Global Warning Potential (GWP) of less than five, and an Ozone Depletion Potential of zero.

STYROFOAM-A products will replace previous X-foam grades of STYROFOAM insulation throughout Ireland as of September 2011, yet specifiers will still benefit from properties they have come to rely on: lightweight yet robust performance, high compressive strength and excellent moisture resistant properties, as well as the ability to deliver against U-value targets.

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"With all new buildings across the EU to be 'nearly zero' energy by the end of 2020, the urgent need for materials which can help building designers and developers meet increasingly stringent targets is clear," said Chris Gimson, Senior Account Manager for Dow Building Solutions.

"We want to ensure the Irish construction sector has full access to STYROFOAM-A grades which have been welcomed by the rest of Europe, and offering our CO2- blown insulation is a great demonstration of our commitment to the future of thermal insulation in Ireland."

Effective insulation has a vital role to play in improving energy efficiency and supporting environmental targets. With increasing interest in Passivhaus and similar design methods – where insulation forms a continuous envelope around buildings to help prevent thermal bridging – insulation that can perform in tough, external environments is also in demand.

"The availability of these grades in Ireland will offer Irish architects and developers the opportunity to use STYROFOAM-A materials in applications such as Passivhaus and low energy buildings where they’ve been tried and tested for several years on the Continent," continued Chris Gimson.

ROOFMATE-A, FLOORMATE-A and PERIMATE-A products will be available from Dow’s distributors only in STYROFOAM-A versions as of September 2011.

For more details on STYROFOAM-A insulation visit www.styrofoam.co.uk

For STYROFOAM-A sales in Southern Ireland, contact Corcoran Products Ltd on 01 633 0400 or Insulation Distributors Ltd on 01 623 4541.

For STYROFOAM-A sales in Northern Ireland, email Tennants Building Products at [email protected] or call 028 9073 1501.

(CD/KMcA)